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A major Methamphetamine trafficker was sentenced today in a case that involved a Wilkes man and a Yadkin County resident. Cesar Sierro-Pineda, 34, of Mexico, was sentenced to life in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Richard L. Voorhees today for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy,
announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. Attorney Tompkins is joined in making today’s announcement by a host of federal and regional law enforcement, including Wilkes Sheriff Chris Shew and Sheriff Phillip Redmond of the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office. According to filed court documents and court proceedings, Sierro-Pineda, who was also known as “El Chocado,” was a distributor for the Mexican drug cartel. From November 2010 through February 2011, Sierro-Pineda imported into the United States from Mexico near-pure crystal methamphetamine, also known as “ice.” The defendant also cooked the methamphetamine in an informal “superlab” in his home in Duluth, Ga., court records show. A superlab is a laboratory capable of producing 10 or more pounds of methamphetamine in a single production cycle. Four other defendants have been sentenced in connection with the case: Hildeberto Gonzalez-Chavez, 32, of Mexico, pleaded guilty on July 28, 2011, and was sentenced on October 2, 2012, to 168 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.Edgar Santana, 23, of Atlanta, Ga., pleaded guilty on August 11, 2011, and was sentenced on October 2, 2012, to 33 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.Henry Clay Randleman, 56, of Ronda, N.C., pleaded guilty on May 18, 2011, and was sentenced on December 12, 2012, to 120 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.Jason Scott Holbrook, 35, of Hamptonville, N.C., pleaded guilty on June 3, 2011, and was sentenced on January 9, 2012, to 78 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.